Santa Monica

Santa Monica

Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County. Situated on the Santa Monica Bay, it is bordered on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and Venice on the southeast. Santa Monica is home to executives and Hollywood celebrities amongst many others and it is a mixture of affluent, single-family neighborhoods, renters, surfers, young professionals, and students.

Santa Monica is the prototypical California beach city. The beautiful ocean sunsets and mild beach weather are only two aspects of desirability of living in Santa Monica. North of Montana Avenue is where grand older homes built in the 1920's/1930's Spanish Colonial and Craftsman style are the norm. South of Montana are well-kept condos, townhouses and apartments. Many of the apartments and condo conversions were built in the 1960's and 1970's and a surge in the 1990's saw the construction of multiple condo high quality condo buildings. Santa Monica College is in Ocean Park which is home to many wonderful Spanish style and post WWII homes. Just south of Ocean Park Boulevard is Sunset Park which also has many post WWII homes a very traditional neighborhood.

Santa Monica has always been the playground for Los Angeles, even as far back as the late 1800's. The 3.5 mile Santa Monica beach includes one of the widest stretches of the coastal bike path and if you ride your bike south it will take you past Venice and Marina Del Rey to Manhattan, Hermosa and to Redondo Beach. The original Muscle Beach was located in Santa Monica and it is also the birthplace of modern skateboarding culture. The public parks still offer many diversions ranging from gymnastic equipment in the sand to chess under the palm trees. The famed Santa Monica Pier is the site of many activities throughout the year. During the summer there are Thursday free summer concerts from July to Labor Day weekend, and "drive-in movies" at the Pier from August through the end September. Just across from the Pier is the Third Street Promenade which was once a bustling thoroughfare but is now closed to traffic and home to some of the best shopping, dining and nightlife in Los Angeles.

Santa Monica has many attractions to keep you coming back for more even if you are not a resident of Santa Monica. There are FOUR Farmer's Market locations throughout Santa Monica: Wednesday's Farmer's Market 8:30-1:00 located at Arizona & 2nd just next to the 3rd Street Promenade, Saturday Organic Market 8:30 - 1:00 at Arizona & 3rd (this market boasts that over 60% of the produce is organically grown), Saturday Pico Farmer's Market 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Virginia Park the corner of Pico and Cloverfield Blvd near Santa Monica College. Last, but not least, is the Sunday Farmer's Market held from 8:30 - 1:00 at Ocean Park Blvd and Main Street. Perhaps the most beloved locally, this market differs from the others because the main Street merchants participate with food booths serving breakfast and lunch. Please visit this link to view wonderful history and all the great offerings at the Santa Monica Farmers Markets: http://www.smgov.net/portals/farmersmarket/